Lovesick
by Haruzilla
Summary: Ryou comes down with a fever in the middle of class and now Marik finds he's coming down with a sickness of a different kind. He can't have feelings for Ryou...could he?
1. Chapter 1

"Ryou, are you feeling alright?"

The young man in question lifted his head off his desk and looked up at me. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

I frowned at him, my brow furrowing in concern. He had been acting rather off all day. Granted, he was usually quiet and a bit withdrawn but something about the way he was acting this day seemed different. "You just look tired and a bit paler than usual."

Ryou sat up, running a hand through his hair and smiling, "I'm fine, really. You don't need to worry so much, Marik."

My frown only deepened, "You're sure?" I knew that Ryou had a bad habit of not telling people when he wasn't feeling well, even his best friends.

"Positive."

I opened my mouth to say more but the bell suddenly rang and cut me off. "Lunch time," I announced, "Come on, maybe if you eat something you'll feel better."

Ryou pushed his chair back and reached for his backpack, sighing, "I'm _fine_, really. I'm just tired is all."

I shrugged, not at all convinced, "Whatever you say." Grabbing my messenger bag and slinging it over my shoulder, I headed out of the classroom.

The halls were crowded and cramped. The noise of the crowd was deafening and it was giving me a headache. I hated crowds. I just plain hated people to begin with and especially when they were all crammed together in such a tight space like this. With an irritated sigh, I grabbed Ryou's arm and wordlessly drug him down another hallway that was considerably less crowded. I remembered this route from long ago when Ryou's brother, Bakura, had showed it to me. It wasn't exactly a shortcut, being a much longer hallway, but it was less traveled which was always a plus.

"Where are we going?" Ryou squeaked when it was quiet enough for his voice to be heard.

"Shortcut," I replied simply.

"Oh…um…could you let go of my arm? Or stop walking so fast…" Ryou muttered.

I stopped suddenly, causing Ryou to nearly collide into me. I hadn't even realized that I'd still had the other boy by the arm and was essentially dragging him down the hall. Feeling rather silly, I released Ryou with a muttered apology.

"Thanks," Ryou mumbled softly.

I glanced at him, noticing the way he swayed on the spot with half-closed eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" I inquired, feeling a bit worried.

Ryou looked up, opened his mouth then suddenly closed it, instead opting to shake his head. "I-I feel…really dizzy…" He managed to mumble before suddenly collapsing on the spot.

In a panic, I scrambled to his side just in time to catch him before he fell to the hard tile floor. Gently, I lowered him to the floor, keeping his head supported on my lap. I brushed his bangs aside and pressed a hand to his forehead. It was burning hot. I sighed in annoyance. Why hadn't he just told me he wasn't feeling well? Or better yet, why hadn't he just stayed home in the first place? Muttering a few curses in Arabic, my native tongue, I did the only thing I could think of and scooped Ryou up into my arms before starting back down the hall toward the front desk.

By now, the halls were practically empty aside from a few stragglers. I received quite a few strange looks, each one met with a glare of my own. They all quickly looked away, allowing me to pass by without any trouble.

We were nearly there when I felt Ryou's weight shift in my arms. A soft moan escaped his lips and his eyes fluttered open, his expression confused. "Marik?" He mumbled.

I didn't even glance down. Maybe I was just a little irritated at him, though I couldn't exactly place my finger on _why._ "You're really terrible at lying," I stated bluntly. I felt Ryou shifting and saw his mouth open to say something, probably to apologize like always. "You have a fever," I continued, cutting him off, "I'm taking you home."

"You…really don't have to," Ryou muttered, "I can get Bakura to come pick me up."

"Isn't he at work today?"

Ryou hesitated and sighed, "Yes."

"Then I'm taking you home."

He didn't argue any further, opting instead to quietly let me carry him down the hall. I wondered if this was at all awkward for him. I was more or less indifferent, we _were _best friends after all, and he wasn't feeling well. What other options did I have?

We reached the front office and I set Ryou down on the bench before heading over to the receptionist.

"Hello," She greeted in an overly cheerful voice, "Is there something you need?"

"I'm checking Ryou Touzoku out of school. He's not feeling well and needs to go home," I stated in a flat tone, keeping everything short and to the point. There wasn't any need for idle chit-chat. I'd seen Bakura do this many times before on the days we'd skip school together. It couldn't be _too_ difficult...right?

She peered around me, eyebrow rising skeptically, "Are his parents picking him up or…?"

"I'm taking him home," I stated flatly.

Her lips pursed and I knew I was in for a fight. "I'm very sorry but I can only check him out. He will have to call his parents or a guardian to come pick him up or he can stay in the infirmary until school is over. Unless you have a legitimate reason for leaving school as well?"

Now she was starting to get on my nerves. "Look, lady," I snapped irritably, "His dad is halfway across the world in _Egypt_ and his brother is at work. He needs to go home so _I'm_ taking him."

"What about his mother?"

I glanced back at Ryou. He was looking away, eyes glued to the floor. He wore that same blank look on his face that he always wore whenever _they_ were mentioned. I turned back to the receptionist and sighed, "She's not here," I muttered quietly.

"Then he can stay in the infirmary until after school," She replied stiffly.

I sighed. Why was it that Bakura was so good at manipulating the staff and I wasn't? Maybe I just wasn't as intimidating as him. Nonetheless, I was done. "I'm taking him home. Put me as absent and file a detention slip if you want," I grumbled.

I turned and stalked back to Ryou, scooping him back up in my arms despite his squeaks of protest. Without even looking back, I left the front office and headed out to the parking lot.


	2. Chapter 2

"I would have been fine staying," Ryou said quietly when we were outside.

"You need to go home and rest. The infirmary sucks, trust me."

He shifted again, "You really don't need to carry me anymore, I can walk," He mumbled, embarrassment lacing his voice.

I looked down at him, stopping in my tracks as I did so. "Are you sure?"

"I…think?"

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to reply and not putting him down as he had asked. I could feel him shivering slightly despite the relatively warm spring day. He could be so…so...frustrating? I couldn't even find a word to describe it. Instead of trying, I distracted myself with thinking about the problem at hand. How was I going to get Ryou home? Even if his house was within walking distance, about 15 minutes, I wasn't about to walk all the way there carrying him. Besides that, I was _not_ going to leave my motorcycle here. That left me with only one choice.

"Do you think you'll be able to hold on if we take my motorcycle?" I asked.

Ryou opened his eyes and looked up at me. I hadn't even noticed that he'd drifted off. "Yeah, I can do it," He replied tiredly.

"It won't be a very long ride," I told him as we reached the spot where I had parked. I gently sat him down on the seat, "And I'll go slow." I reached into my messenger bag and handed him my helmet, which he promptly put on.

I swung my leg over and sat down, digging around the pockets of my pants for my keys. I nearly jumped when I felt Ryou's arms snaking around my waist and once again I found myself wondering why. It wasn't that I was unused to having a passenger; Bakura often hitched a ride when we were out causing mayhem. Then again, that was Bakura and this was Ryou, there was a difference. One was my best friend and the other was…also my friend? All these feelings were getting confusing.

"Marik?"

I snapped out of my thoughts. I hadn't even realized that I'd just been sitting there staring off into space, frozen in the midst of putting the keys into the ignition. "Sorry, distracted," I mumbled before firing up the engine to cut off any other questions he might have.

Ryou's grip tightened as we pulled out and he slid forward to better cling to me. I felt his head come to rest on my back, his face buried into my shoulder blade to block the wind. I was beginning to find it hard to concentrate, my stomach kept knotting up. Why did I always feel this way? It wasn't just now, it had been happening for months. Every time we made contact somehow – a friendly hug, accidentally bumping into one another, playfully shoving each other down the hall – the feeling returned. I wondered if it was just me or if Ryou felt it too.

With a start I realized that we were approaching his house; a small, nondescript thing situated on the corner. I slowed down and pulled into the driveway, cutting the engine as I did so. "We're here," I said, glancing back at Ryou who was still clinging as tightly as ever despite the fact that we weren't moving.

He looked up and slowly released me, looking just a touch embarrassed. He removed the helmet and handed it back me before glancing up at the house uncertainly. It was a short walk to the door but I could tell that he was questioning whether he would be able to make it on his own or not.

"I can carry you," I offered without even thinking.

Ryou shook his head, "No, I can walk." He swung his leg over and slowly stood, swaying unsteadily as he did so. With a huff, I got up and placed an arm around his waist to support him. He really needed to learn when to accept help when it was offered…though I wasn't one to talk. I always solved my problems on my own, help was just troublesome.

Ryou looked up at me, a small smile spreading across his face. "Thanks," He mumbled.

I just shrugged in reply and concentrated on helping him walk. We got to the house with no problems and made a beeline straight for Ryou's room. When we got there, he gently pulled away from me and promptly collapsed on his bed with a content sigh. I sat next to him and watched for a moment as he burrowed his way under the covers and curled up like a sleepy kitten.

"Anything you need?" I asked.

A head shake was my answer.

I stood, finding no reason to stay much longer. I'd done my job. I wasn't entirely sure what I would do for the rest of the day. I couldn't go back home otherwise Ishizu would kill me. There was no doubt in my mind that the school had already called her. My older brother, Odion, and Bakura were both at work and Ryou was sick, I had nobody else to go to and I couldn't hang around here. "I guess I'll just go so you can sleep," I muttered offhandedly before starting for the door.

Suddenly, I felt a hand catch my wrist and bring me to an abrupt stop. I turned to see that Ryou was now sitting up, his face painted with that pleading look that, no matter what, could always make me bend over backwards for him. It was like puppy dog eyes but a million times worse.

"Please, don't go," He muttered, awkwardness and…a hint of something else that I couldn't place lacing his voice, "I…I don't like being alone."

His plea was so desperate it was almost laughable. I probably would have turned anyone else down but this was Ryou. No one else was privileged enough to receive the same type of treatment he got from me, not even Bakura. He was the only one who could writhe past the tight armor of my cold, uncaring exterior and hit all my soft spots, reducing me to nothing. Why was that? What made him so special? All these thoughts, all these…emotions, were dizzying.

Ryou's hand squeezing my wrist brought me back to reality and I sighed, nodding slowly, "I'll stay."

He smiled and released me. With no other choice, I sat back down next to him. Nothing but silence passed between us for what seemed like eternity. Somehow, I ended up idly rubbing his back while he seemingly slept. I knew that when I wasn't feeling well I enjoyed a good back rub, especially on the nightmare filled nights when my scars would ache from the memories.

I paused a moment, quickly shoving back the flood of things I would rather not remember. We'd moved from that hellhole of a house, life was good. It was time to move forward. Nothing good ever came from remembering. Memories were nothing but troublesome.

"Marik?"

Once again, Ryou's voice brought me back to reality. "Yeah?" I replied automatically, slowly withdrawing my hand from his back. Had he really been awake this entire time?

He shifted a little to look at me with those deep brown doe-eyes of his, "You really didn't have to stay. I was being selfish."

I sighed and let a smile cross my face, "I have nothing else to do. Might as well keep you company."

He looked down, suddenly looking melancholy, "It's just…when I'm alone I remember things. My mom…Amane…I-I like to remember the good times we had but it always leads to…" He trailed off but I knew exactly what he meant.

Ryou himself had never told me about the accident, Bakura had. I couldn't help but find myself pitying them. They essentially had no one now, their only living relative, their dad, was miles away in Egypt and practically non-existent. When he was home, he was also too busy with the museum to really pay attention to his sons. Bakura and Ryou only had each other now.

Ryou looked away from me, sighing shakily. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't trouble you with these things. You can go if you want." Even though I couldn't see his face, I could hear the tears in his voice.

I couldn't stand to see him like that. Before I could stop myself, I scooted closer and pulled him into an embrace. I felt him tense, surprised by the action, then slowly relax and bury his head deeper into my chest.

My mind was exploding. What was I doing? I never showed compassion to anyone, let alone hug them! This wasn't right! Yet, despite all that, I held on. Something kept me from pushing the other boy away, something _wanted_ to keep holding on. Apparently, that something was stronger than my pride.

Eventually, Ryou slowly pulled away from my grip. He wiped the moistness from his eyes and cheeks, smiling softly. "Thank you," He said quietly.

I grinned back at him, feeling a little silly for acting the way I had been. "You need to rest," I replied, "You'll never get better if you don't."

"Will you stay?" He asked with a small yawn.

I hesitated then nodded, "Yeah." What would it hurt? Maybe I could catch a little nap myself. I lay back with a small sigh, staring up at the ceiling.

Then something rather unexpected happened. Ryou scooted closer, nuzzling up to my side as close as he could manage. I looked down at him in surprise, expecting some sort of explanation but the boy's eyes were already closed and he appeared to be drifting off. I shifted, having half a mind to try moving away but something kept me still. Sighing, I simply stayed where I was and let my eyes close.

Maybe this wasn't so bad.


End file.
